Bond18 - Around the World in 90 Days: Day 22

Posted by Bond18 | Filed under Bond18

Barcelona, Spain: I walk over to Casino Barcelona around 4PM. I run into Zpaceman about 20 minutes later and he tells me the loan for the 1K event will be no problem. Major life saver. I register for the event, which doesn’t start until 9PM, and walk back to the hotel to grab some dinner with Celina.

When I get back to the casino I run into Atimos who introduces me to online players Djk123, Kcannon, Universe112, Mr.Bigqueso and, Annette15. They’re all half drunk due to their hotel providing a free mini bar, except for Queso who is about 4/5ths drunk and repeatedly slamming his glass on the table while cracking up attempting to order a drink in broken Spanish from the waitress.

We walk over to take our seats in the tournament which starts us with 5,000 in chips at 20/40 blinds with 40 minute levels. My table is full of unknowns and cards get in the air on time.

My first hand is about an orbit in. The MP2 player is a younger guy who plays weird and the button is a loose station:

My stack: ~5K. Villain’s: ~5K. I hold 6s-5s in the SB. Blinds 20/40.

Pre-flop: It Folds to MP2, MP2 raises to 120, folds to button, button calls, I call in the SB (I wouldn’t online), BB calls.

Flop: 8c-7d-6c

Awkward. I check, BB checks, MP2 bets 320, button folds, I call, BB folds.

Turn: 9s

I check, MP2 bets 640, I call.

River: 4d

I lead 1,120, and MP2 tanks then calls. I table my straight and he flashes 9-9 and mucks.

After that almost nothing happens for me for the rest of 20/40 and the whole of 30/60. A new player is moved to the table at 50/100; he’s roughly 55 years old and wearing a hat and shirt that say Mr. Poker. A few hands into his stay at the table we’re involved:

My stack: ~7,500. Mr. Poker: ~4.5K. Blinds 50/100, I hold A-Qo in the BB.

Pre-flop: Folds to the HJ, HJ raises to 400, CO folds, Mr. Poker calls on the button, SB folds, I call.

Flop: Ac-2d-4h

I check, HJ checks, Mr. Poker bets 600, I call, HJ folds.

Turn: 5d

Pretty safe card. I check and Mr. Poker bets 1,500. I decide in live poker and with only 2,000 behind he can easily stack off with worse Aces here, so I check shove on him. He instantly calls and tables Ad3-d. Shit.

River: 6s

I pass over a big chunk of my stack and aim to rebuild.

A few hands later I get my chance:

My stack: 2,200. Button: ~3,600. I hold Qs-Jd in MP2. Blinds 50/100.

Pre-flop: Folds to MP1, MP1 calls, I call (again, not happening online), HJ folds, CO folds, button calls, SB completes, BB checks.

Flop: 3s-Jc-4s

It checks to me, I bet 300, button calls, SB calls, the rest fold.

Turn: Js

Weird card. Flush get’s there but so do my trips, plus I pick up a flush draw. SB checks, I check (?) button bets 600, SB folds and with only 1,600 I move in. The button instantly folds. Huh?

A couple hands later I’m involved again:

My stack: ~3,600. UTG+2 ~3500. I hold Ac-Qh in MP1

Pre-flop: Folds to UTG+2, UTG+2 raises to 300, I call, folds to the BB, BB calls.

Flop: Qs-Ts-3s

BB checks, UTG+2 bets 600, I move all in, BB folds. UTG+2 tanks for a long time. Asks for a count. Counts down his stack then, with a look of remorse, slides his stack into the middle and tables As-Tc. Oh what the fuck.

Turn: 5c

River: Ad

Sick fade.

I sit through the whole 70/140 level doing nothing, and then the tournament director comes over and decides to move me to a new table.

My new table looks tougher than my last one with more young players, but watching the first few hands alleviates my concern. An orbit in I’m involved:

My stack: ~7,200. BB: ~10K. Button: ~12K. I hold Qd-Qc in MP1. Blinds 100/200.

Pre-flop: Folds to me in MP1, I raise to 600, folds to the button, button calls, SB folds, BB is a young guy who thinks it over, looks at his stack, then re-raises to 1,500. I want to leap out of my chair and yell “WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOUR FOOLING WITH THIS SHIT?!” and I flat call when I should probably just fold to these live nits. The button also calls.

Flop: Ks-Kc-6d

BB quickly fires 3,000 and I fold. The button announces all-in the second the action is on him and the BB winces in pain and calls. The button tables his Kh-Qh and the BB flips up his incredibly obvious A-A. He makes it 2,200 pre and I stack off.

I’m soon moved tables again and sit through a very boring phase of finding no hands. My stack has dwindled to less than 6,000 when I find myself in a hand:

My stack: ~5,800. UTG: ~4,500. I hold Kd-Kh on the button. Blinds 150/300.

Pre-flop: UTG limps, folds to MP2, MP2 limps, folds to me on the button, I raise to 1,200, folds to UTG, UTG shoves, MP2 folds, I call. UTG tables 9-9 and stays in his seat. Why won’t anyone ever get up for me? Do they know something I don’t?
Flop: T-8-4 rainbow

Turn: 6

“Give me a seven!” he shouts. I am so de…

River: 7s

“SEVEN! YES!” I barely react outside gritting my teeth slightly. I pass over the majority of my stack and find myself with 1,330 left. Looks like another short day.

A couple hands later it folds to me in MP with K-Qo and I shove. It folds to the SB who calls with Jd-8d and the door card is a K, which he never comes close to cracking.

A few hands later it folds to the same player on the CO and he makes it 900. The button and SB folds and with 2,900 in the BB I look down at A-Q and shove. He quickly calls with A-T and the board runs out: K-J-5-T-J. This guy is handing me chips so fast he’s like a personal Santa Claus. He sees me writing down the hands and whenever we play a pot he gestures at me to take out my note pad and jot down what happens.

A round later it folds to me on the button with 4-4 and both players on my left have under 10 BB’s. I shove and the BB with about 5 BB’s left calls Qh-9h. The flop comes 9 high and I never catch up. The very next hand I’m involved again:

My stack: ~4,600. BB: ~4,800. I hold 7d-6d on the CO. Blinds 150/300.

Pre-flop: Folds to MP2, MP2 limps, folds to me, I decide to limp since button is straight forward and SB just doubled and won’t get out of line. Button folds, SB folds, BB checks.

Flop: Ad-Ah-3s

BB fires out 600, MP2 folds, and I know almost no live player is leading an A here. I call.

Turn: Jd

BB thinks it over, then bets 800. I shove. He thinks it over briefly and folds.

The blinds go up to 150/300 with 30 ante and I keep finding myself in pots with Santa Claus:

My stack: ~6,200. Santa: ~15K. Blinds 150/300 with 30 ante. I hold Kd-Jh in MP2.

Pre-flop: Folds to me, I raise to 800, folds to Santa in BB, Santa calls.

Flop: Tc-Js-4c

Santa checks, I fire 1,300, Santa calls.

Turn: Jc

Again an awkward card. Santa is so loose and stationy though that I feel getting it in here is mandatory. Santa checks and I think over my bet size then fire 2,500 leaving my stacks of 100 chips behind to make my stack look bigger than it is in case he wants to make a spewy check shove and thinks I can fold. He stares me down then folds.

A while later the blinds go up to 200/400. I’ve lost a couple small pots raising pre-flop and having to fold after C betting, so my stack is back around 6,000. It folds to the CO who open shoves 3,100 and on the button I find A-Qo and reshove. Both blinds fold and he tables his 7-7. Fuck, I haven’t won a race yet this trip.

Flop: Kh-2c-8h

Turn: Ts

River: Jc

Whoa. I just won a flip. Just…wow.

An orbit later I find myself with K-K in the BB. Santa limps the CO and the SB completes. I raise 1,000 on top and both call. The flop comes T-5-2 rainbow and after SB checks I fire 2,500. Both players fold and I start to wonder whether I should be checking there.

The blinds go up to 300/600 with 60 ante when the next hand comes up:

My stack: ~12,000. Santa: ~16,000. I hold A-7o in the BB.

Pre-flop: Folds to Santa on the CO, Santa limps, button limps, SB completes, I check.

Flop: 7-A-9 rainbow

SB checks. Hmm, I think leading at A-high boards in live poker gets too many folds, and with no flush draws, I’ll try just one slow play. I check, Santa bets 1,700 and the button and SB fold. I stare him down a bit, then check-raise to 4,700, the perfect dirty amount to raise in live poker. Santa thinks only a couple seconds before calling.

Turn: 6

I stare over at Santa, look down at my stack, then announce all in. Santa insta-calls with an enthusiasm that makes me think I’ve wandered into a set or something. I table my A-7o and he looks disgusted and tables J-9o. Wha?

River: 5

A massive pot is shipped my way and Santa looks over at me and says “Please” then makes the writing motion. I oblige and pull out my note pad and start jotting down the hand.

300/600 is the last level of the night and I play a couple small pots that build my stack. The very last hand of the night I find Ah-Th UTG+2. It folds to me and I raise to 1,600, the next two players fold then an older guy (the one who limp shoved 9-9 earlier) shoves for 6,800 on the CO. It folds back to me and I’m hating life. Even though I’m getting a pretty good price, I just can’t remember seeing older guys shove light in live poker. Shit. Can he ever be jamming just to see if he can be bust or have a stack going into tomorrow? Certainly, yes certainly he could do that right? I decide to call because I like calling and he says “Nice call, you’re in front” and tables A-7o. The door card is the T and he never comes close.

I end the day with 34,200, which is good for around top five in chips. Annette is the only other online player left in with around 24,000. At some point during the day she had a massive stack and I went over and told her “Please win this so I can actually play the Main Event” and she replied with “Well sure, but I was always going to win it anyway.” No she didn’t, but we all know how this will end. Second is not so bad though.

We grab a cab back to the hotel and the cab driver is pissed off when we tell him where we’re going since it’s only a 3.50 Euro fare. He spends the whole ride grumbling in Spanish about it and probably cursing us. Who knows?

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